Thursday, June 27, 2013

Chess Noels

I believe I've found an interesting recipe here. This one may very well be vintage from someone's family recipe book handed down through generations.
I tried to research this and only found one other recipe by the same name and it was nothing like this one.
Apparently this cookie was made and served only during Christmas. I could see it being served any time of the year.

Chess Noels:

1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C sifted flour
3 TBS  granulated sugar
1 1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs yolks, beaten ( save the whites)
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites ( the ones you saved) , stiffly beaten
1 C powdered sugar

Cream butter and granulated sugar
Gradually add flour
Mix well
Press evenly into a 9"X13" pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Mix together:
brown sugar
egg yolks
pecans
vanilla
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites
Spread evenly over baked layer
Bake an additional 25 minutes

Dust with powdered sugar
Cool completely
Cut into squares

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Crumbly Ginger Cookies

I'm still checking out recipes in some of the vintage Mennonite Recipe Books. I found this one for Ginger cookies. The word crumbly made me stop at this recipe. I like ginger cookies and I like crumbly cookies. I prefer crispy, crunchy, crumbly cookies over soft ones.

Crumbly Ginger Cookies:

2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C light molasses

Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg and molasses, beat until light and fluffy.
Add dry ingredients.
Chill dough.

Roll into walnut sized balls.( I start with a cookie scoop)
Dip quickly in cool water then sugar.
Place on a cookie sheet pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Poppy Seed Rolls / from a Mennonite Recipe Book

I have a great story about Poppy Seed Rolls. I'm not sure I expect anyone to actually make these , but.... you never know. There may be some very excited bakers when they see this recipe. I would like to make them, maybe I will some day.
We attend the MCC Sale ( Mennonite Central Committee), sale every year in Kansas.

Each year in Canada and the United States, thousands of volunteers come together to raise money for MCC. In 2012  over $5 million was raised to help MCC respond to basic needs and work for peace and justice around the world. Relief Sale events and auctions offer participants a little bit of everything - quilts, artwork, crafted woodwork, homemade foods, antiques and crafts.

I've posted stories about is and blogged about some of my recipes that have been passed down through my wife's family.
I was intrigued this year when I saw the price tag on the Poppy Seed Rolls, $40.00 apiece. I thought that was a bit extravagant compared to a $3.50 loaf of Bread or a $6.00 Pie.

The table was set up with $15.00 (small bags) of Poppy Seeds and an instructional video running to show us how they are made. It wasn't convincing enough for me to buy a roll, but it made me want to research them and find a recipe to make them myself.
I was told that the price of the difficulty of the harvest and the price of the seeds were what made the rolls so expensive.
One of my favorite things to do at the sale is rummaging through the 6 ft. tables piled high with cookbooks. The books range from company based promotional books to Church sponsored books, to speciality books like Slow Cookers, etc. But, my favorite ones are the family recipe books that people have donated. Some of them are so tattered and torn and stained. My favorites are the hand written ones. They evoke the history of family recipes that have been handed down through generations.

I bought many during this past sale and I sat down to see if I could find a recipe for Poppy Seed Rolls....not a single book had a recipe. When I returned home I began my quest to find a recipe.
I had a book that had been handed down from my wife's family. One of the most fascinating things about the book is the cover and back that are made of wood. It has a hand painted picture on the front of cactus and a mountain in the background. The best part is that I found the recipe I've been searching for, Poppy Seed Rolls!


Poppy Seed Rolls: it was difficult to read the recipe, I think it makes 4 rolls

2 C milk
1 C cream
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 C sugar
9 C flour
1 cake yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 C lukewarm water
1 TBS salt
Filling recipe to follow

Scald milk and cream, add butter and 1/2 C sugar, cool to lukewarm.
Dissolve yeast in water with 1/2 tsp sugar. Add to first mixture.
Add remaining ingredients gradually and mix well.
Knead dough, let rise until double.
Use approximately 1/4 of the dough for each roll
Roll dough 1/4" thick into a rectangle
Spread each roll with 1/4 of the following mixture:

2 C sugar
1 TBS flour
2 C ground poppy seeds
1/2 C cream, scalded
1 TBS syrup ( white corn syrup)

Roll as for a jelly roll
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies



Here's a basic Mennonite/Amish Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
I added the pecans because I'm from Texas!

1 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 C old fashioned  or quick oats
1 C raisins
1 C chopped pecans ( Texans put pecans in everything)

In a bowl, cream:
shortening
both sugars

Add eggs, 1 at a time
Add vanilla

In another bowl,  sift together:
flour
baking soda
salt
cinnamon

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

Fold in:
oatmeal
raisins
pecans

use a small cookie scoop and place 2" apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 11 minutes, just until golden brown
Cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet pan then remove cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Lazy Cake Cookies



Here's a simple, easy, kid friendly recipe that my nephew shared with me.
This is crazy, it's so simple!

Lazy Cake Cookies:

1 box of cake mix ( yellow, white or chocolate) we did chocolate, photograph to follow
2 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
2 C chocolate chips

1- 9"x13" baking dish, sprayed with a vegetable spray or my Pan Release ( on the blog under Tips, Hints and More)

Mix all ingredients together in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Cool completely
Cut into squares

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
The dough before baking
Other than a change in color, they look the same as before they were baked
Delicious! With the Chocolate Cake base it tastes like a brownie.
It's basically a bar cookie.
I'd like to make Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Chips
White Cake with Butterscotch Chips
Spice Cake with Cinnamon Chips

It's Wednesday, Taste Section of the Dallas Morning News / Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

There really wasn't much that tempted me in the Taste Section today. The cover story was about Lamb, not very vegetarian friendly. The other highlight was Wine, not my first choice to blog about . I've learned that if I look deeper into the Taste section, I can usually find something of interest.
Today, I chose..... Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes.
Americans are not afraid to buy a Pancake Mix , make the batter according to directions on the box and then throw in a handful of Blueberries. I admit I'm guilty.
When I realized that there are readers of the blog that may not have access to a pre- made Pancake mix, I decided to post this recipe so they can make them from "scratch", according to Alicia Ross of the Dallas Morning News Taste Section.

Homemade Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes:

1 C flour
1/2 C plain yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS sugar
1 large egg
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 1/2 C buttermilk ( homemade recipe to follow, if you don't have buttermilk)
Butter for cooking
1 pint blueberries
Real Maple Syrup for serving

In a medium bowl, combine:
flour
cornmeal
salt
baking soda
sugar
Set Aside

In a small bowl, combine:
egg
oil
buttermilk

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined
Heat a griddle or non stick frying pan over medium - low heat
Butter the griddle
Pour the batter by 1/2 cupfuls onto the hot griddle and top with some blueberries
Cook pancakes 2 - 4 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown

Remove to a warm plate
Repeat until all the pancakes are cooked

Serve immediately with maple syrup

Homemade Buttermilk:
1 TBS of Lemon Juice or 1 TBS White Vinegar ( to make 1 cup of Buttermilk)
Add the lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup and  then add the milk until it reaches the 1 C mark.
Let it sit for a few minutes



Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Texas Bread Pudding

Texas Bread Pudding

Texas Bread Pudding is a Cornmeal based dish similar to a Corn Pudding.
It's a great side dish with any Tex - Mex meal
I have posted several recipes with Corn.

1 can of Creamed Corn
1 C Cornmeal
3/4 C Heavy Cream
1/3 C Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Adobo Seasoning
1 small can of diced Green Chiles
1 C  ( 4 ounces ) shredded Queso Quesadilla

In a medium bowl, combine:
Corn
Cornmeal
Cream
Oil
Eggs
Baking powder
Adobo Seasoning
Mix well
Pour half of the mixture in 2 qt. Casserole sprayed with a Vegetable Spray

Sprinkle the top with Chiles and then Cheese

Gently pour the remaining batter over the cheese
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!